Anti-Democracy State Rep. Throws Tantrum over Lack of Democracy

If you assumed the State House Republicans couldn’t be a bigger embarrassment to our Party – you were wrong.

On Tuesday, State Rep. Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro) threw a disturbing hissy fit on the floor of the House in Springfield. In the video he’s screaming, yelling, cursing, and at one point flings a bunch of papers into the air. Bost gets so loud and out of control, at one point it looks like he wakes up his Republican colleague Jim Durkin.

In the video Mike Bost is ranting and raving over some perceived slight by the Democrats. Bost is on his high horse comparing himself to Moses (no I’m not kidding), and decrying the lack of democracy in the Illinois House.

First of all, it’s odd to hear Bost complaining about the Democrats. Like almost all of the House Republicans he’s regularly helped the Democrats advance their agenda. You can review Bost’s record of voting like a Democrat here.

But even more shameful is Bost’s astounding hypocrisy. Bost pretends to care about democracy, but in fact he’s always been one of the most vicious opponents of real democracy within his own Illinois Party. Mike Bost is one of the biggest Tom Cross lackeys in the House GOP caucus. In that role Bost has always opposed SB 35 (formerly SB 600). Bost gets hysterical when Mike Madigan doesn’t let him have his way – while at the same time Bost says Republican voters shouldn’t be allowed to vote in their own State Party.

Mike Bost isn’t powerless because of Mike Madigan. Mike Bost and the rest of the House Republicans are powerless because their caucus is composed of too many embarrassing buffoons like Mike Bost.

As long as we’ve got a party apparatus that protects if not encourages this kind of behavior, the Democrats are always going to be in complete control in Illinois.

The good news is we don’t have to rely on hotheads like Mike Bost to pass SB 35. In less than two weeks regular Republicans can on their own restore real elections and real accountability to the Illinois Republican Party at the State Convention in Tinley Park.

The resolution the delegates need to pass is here. If you’re sick and tired of being embarrassed by guys like Mike Bost, restoring direct elections for the State Party’s senior governing board will be a huge advance towards something better.

Doug Ibendahl is a Chicago Attorney and a former General Counsel of the Illinois Republican Party.